[ad_1]
Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to congratulate Joe Biden on his election as president-elect on Saturday, because there are still “legal proceedings” to be carried out.
Russia would only recognize a new president upon confirmation of “official results,” its spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, without elaborating on what exactly that would mean.
“We think the right thing to do is wait,” he told reporters. “President Putin has said on many occasions that he would respect any choice the American nation makes.”
Former Vice President Biden beat incumbent Donald Trump in the race for the White House on Saturday after garnering 20 crucial votes from the Pennsylvania Electoral College.
Relations between the United States and Russia are already at their worst since the Cold War, but the Kremlin’s stance underscores the belief that things are unlikely to improve with a known adversary in command.
The personal relationships between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden are known to be problematic. In a 2014 interview with the New Yorker, then-Vice President Biden claimed that he had told Putin that he “had no soul.”
In the absence of an official response over the weekend, Sunday’s propaganda news programs were left to outline the likely position. In what appeared to be a deliberate snub, flagship Vesti Nedeli led with Friday’s news of the death of a famous Soviet comic. When it came to reporting on the U.S. elections, he described both Biden and Trump as contested candidates accusing each other of fraud.
In addition to Russia, the leaders of China, Brazil and Turkey are also steadfast in sending congratulations to Mr. Biden.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday offered a similar explanation as to why President Xi Jinping has remained silent.
“We understand that the outcome of the presidential elections will be determined following the laws and procedures of the United States,” he said.
Notably, China backed the Alpha Count of Guinea in his re-election as president on Monday, even as he faced allegations of fraud at home.
Additionally, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also said he would wait to comment until legal challenges to the vote are resolved.
